RIFLE RANGE BOY

The Saraswati Civilisation. (2019) (A Paradigm Shift in Ancient Indian History) Author: Maj General Dr GD Bakshi In secondary school history class, we were taught to believe that civilisation developed circa 1500 BCE around the Indus River. Then came mighty learned men from the Steppe Land on horsebacks to bring knowledge and wisdom to this region. The original inhabitants of this region ran helter-skelter, crossing the Vindhya Hills to root themselves in the Southern part of the subcontinent. We vaguely remember being told about the Aryan Invasion Theory and the clear demarcation between the Northern part of India and the South. . Later in life, we were exposed to Mahabharata, Ramayana and Bhagavad Gita. What was taught as mythological tales, we later found out, was actually backed with scientific facts. For starters, the birth dates of specific icons could be fact-checked as their birthdates were described in relation to astronomical positions. These scriptures also illustrate a lush...

The River (1951) The film made in technicolor was shot totally in Bengal and was the launchpad of Satyajit Ray's career. At a glance it looks like a young girl's coming-of-age film about love and growing up but if we were to analyse, they are a lot of things buried in its story. Sometimes, it also sound like a documentary with many shots of  River Ganges, peasants at work, in their natural habitat and celebrations (Diwali and Holi) with the recurrent voice overs. The story revolves around Harriet, a young teenage girl, who grows up with 4 other younger sisters and a much younger brother in a well to do Caucasian family living by the Ganges with the help of servants and nanny. Her neighbour, Mr John, has an American visitor, a dashing young serviceman (Capt. John) with one leg. Harriet and her slightly elder friend, Valerie are both infatuated with him. Mr John is now a widower (his Hindu Indian wife deceased) with a daughter, Melanie, who has a serious identity crisis - wh...